Differential Morpho-Physiological and Transcriptomic Responses to Heat Stress in Two Blueberry Species

Abstract

Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) are highly vulnerable to changing climatic conditions, especially increasing temperatures. To gain insight into mechanisms underpinning the response to heat stress, two blueberry species were subjected to heat stress for 6 and 9 h at 45 °C, and leaf samples were used to study the morpho-physiological and transcriptomic changes. As compared with Vaccinium corymbosum, Vaccinium darrowii exhibited thermal stress adaptation features such as small leaf size, parallel leaf orientation, waxy leaf coating, increased stomatal surface area, and stomatal closure. RNAseq analysis yielded ~135 million reads and identified 8305 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) during heat stress against the control samples. In V. corymbosum, 2861 and 4565 genes were differentially expressed at 6 and 9 h of heat stress, whereas in V. darrowii, 2516 and 3072 DEGs were differentially expressed at 6 and 9 h, respectively. Among the pathways, the protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) was the highly enriched pathway in both the species: however, certain metabolic, fatty acid, photosynthesis-related, peroxisomal, and circadian rhythm pathways were enriched differently among the species. KEGG enrichment analysis of the DEGs revealed important biosynthesis and metabolic pathways crucial in response to heat stress. The GO terms enriched in both the species under heat stress were similar, but more DEGs were enriched for GO terms in V. darrowii than the V. corymbosum. Together, these results elucidate the differential response of morpho-physiological and molecular mechanisms used by both the blueberry species under heat stress, andhelp in understanding the complex mechanisms involved in heat stress tolerance.

Transcriptome profiling, physiological, and biochemical analyses provide new insights towards drought stress response in sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marshall) saplings

“…Next-generation sequencing has become a powerful platform to elucidate molecular mechanisms in many research fields due to its rapidity and cost-effectiveness ( Gao et al., 2018 ; Callwood et al., 2021 ; McEvoy et al., 2022 ). The comprehensive data generated facilitates the development of genetic analyses and functional genomics studies between plant species, specifically for non-model plants and tree species ( Kulkarni et al., 2021 ).…”

Genomic and evolutionary relationships among wild and cultivated blueberry species

“…These wild species could be a repository of favorable alleles for future use in introgression programs. Recently, we have shown that the southern species V. darrowii exhibits a differential response of morpho-physiological and molecular mechanisms compared to the V. corymbosum plants under heat stress [ 25 ]. Thus, analyzing the genetic structure of species can help identify diverse lineages and play an important role in breeding.…”

Pyramiding of transcription factor, PgHSF4, and stress-responsive genes of p68, Pg47, and PsAKR1 impart multiple abiotic stress tolerance in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

“…Plants handle abiotic stress through cellular level tolerance by maintaining metabolic homeostasis, cellular membrane stability, osmotic adjustments, management of oxidative stress, production of stress-responsive genes and proteins and secondary metabolites, and lipid reprogramming ( Li et al., 2015 ; Nisarga et al., 2017 ; Kiranmai et al., 2018 ; Callwood et al., 2021 ; Mulozi et al., 2023 ). By altering the expression of many genes through complex signaling pathways, plants have developed adaptive mechanisms for abiotic stresses.…”